Delaware Valley seeks feedback on school calendar

Delaware Valley School District is informally polling the community for feedback on three calendar options for its 2013-14 school year.

BETH BRELJE

Delaware Valley School District is informally polling the community for feedback on three calendar options for its 2013-14 school year.

The district has posted three calendar options on its website — dvsd.org — and has invited the public to vote for one and leave a comment.

"I thought it was a good time to take the pulse of the community," Superintendent John Bell said.

In one proposed option, the school year starts after Labor Day.

Eliminating the overlap of the official end of the summer tourism season and the start of the school year is something the tourism industry has requested for years.

Often students returning to school end their summer job early, leaving employers short-staffed on one of the busiest weekends of the summer.

But early poll results suggest the public is not leaning toward a post-Labor Day start.

Two other options, both with August starts, were ahead in the polling as of Monday.

"One issue we are studying is what kind of attendance we have on Easter week," Bell said. "We are crunching the numbers right now."

The calendar Delaware Valley has followed for years has a short spring break, starting on the Thursday before Easter and running through the Monday after Easter.

Many parents pull kids out of school for vacation the entire week before or after Easter.

Bell believes that if attendance is lower during both weeks, it may make sense to pick a full week and give parents enough notice so vacations can be planned well in advance. This could increase attendance overall at that time.

Bell asks the public to offer feedback by Friday. He hopes to make a recommendation and possibly see a vote on the calendar at the Dec. 13 school board meeting.